


(And I Remember Thinking) Are We Out of the Woods Yet?

by insatiablycurious



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Werewolf Danny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-24 05:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2569259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insatiablycurious/pseuds/insatiablycurious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>But the monsters turned out to be just trees and when the sun came up, you were looking at me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(And I Remember Thinking) Are We Out of the Woods Yet?

**Author's Note:**

> lunathewarrior over on tumblr gave me the awesome prompt of: instead of Danny already being a werewolf how about she becomes one while she's with Laura and they have to deal with the consequences?
> 
> I obviously got a bit carried away.

I.

“Thanks again for helping me with this. I really appreciate it.” Laura says, turning to Danny, who’s snapping a picture of a Three-Leafed Purple Dragonstongue plant that they had just spent the last twenty minutes trying to find.

They’ve been hiking through the forest for at least two hours and it was now dark, all because Laura’s ridiculous Ecology professor was under the assumption that Ecology was the only class they were taking. Really, two hours to hike through the forest and find two dozen rare plants? With all of the other stuff she was dealing with? Talk about a heavy load.

Which was why she had shyly asked Danny for help over their shared slice of strawberry pie in the caf. After all, two sets of eyes are better than one right? And Danny knew the forest pretty well so it made sense to ask her. It wasn’t at all an excuse to get close to the taller girl and spend alone time in a forest together. Not at all.

“It’s not a problem. I’m having fun.” Danny replies, smiling. Laura almost melts into a puddle.

“Well we just have these last two to find and then we’re in the clear.” Laura says, turning back to the list so Danny wouldn’t see her blush.

“Which two?” Danny asks, leaning in to look at Laura’s list.

“Uh- um, the Longneedle Blue Cedar and the…Mars Fly Trap?” She replies, stuttering at Danny’s close proximity.

“Oh, I know where the Fly Trap is. C’mon.” Danny says, reaching for Laura’s hand and directing her down a path to their left.

Danny starts to let go of her hand, but Laura squeezes her fingers so she can’t. Danny looks at her quizzically.

“It’s dark” is Laura’s only explanation. Danny grins.

“Okay. It’s this way.” Danny says, tugging Laura a little closer.

“Did you have to take this class?” Laura asks.

“Nah, I took anatomy instead.” Danny replies.

“Anatomy? Isn’t that like, way harder?” Laura asks, carefully stepping over a glowing mushroom.

“Yeah but, it’s much more interesting. Like, if I’m going to have to take GenEd credits I might as well enjoy it, you know?” Danny replies, ducking under a low hanging tree branch.

Laura starts to reply as the path leads them into a clearing, but a loud growling noise from somewhere in front of them stops them both. The full moon gives them plenty of light to look around, but there’s nothing there.

“What was that?” Danny asks, scanning the line of trees to their left.

“No idea but it came from- Danny!” Laura squeezes Danny hand hard as a large black shape slinks out of the bushes in front of them.

The black shape emits another low growl before stepping further into the clearing. The moonlight hits it and Laura takes a step back. It’s a wolf.

“Does bear spray work on wolves?” Laura whispers. Danny shakes her head slowly.

“No clue.” She replies, taking a small step backwards.

Laura starts to reach into her bag but the wolf growls louder. She stops moving and Danny squeezes her hand.

“What do we do?” Laura whispers, “he won’t let us move!”

“I think we’re just going to have to run for it.” Danny mutters back, tensing up. The wolf takes a step towards them and growls again.

“Okay. Okay, on the count of three?” Laura asks. Danny nods.

They don’t make it to two.

The wolf lunges at them with a ferocious yowl and Danny shoves Laura out of the way. They manage to get out of the clearing and back onto the path before the wolf gets close. Laura leaps over a pothole as Danny ducks around a tree. They can hear the wolf’s teeth snap as it narrowly misses Danny’s right hand.

They’re full on sprinting now, and Laura’s chest is burning with the exertion. She’s mentally going through every single Krav Maga hold she can think of, trying to come up with one that she can use to incapacitate the wolf, when her right foot squishes one of the glowing mushrooms and then slides out from under her. She pitches backwards and sideways right into Danny, who grabs her and keeps her upright.

“I’ve got you. Keep going.” Danny says, turning her back around and helping her stay on her feet.

The wolf is right on them again, opening its mouth at Laura. Danny spins around and smacks it right on the muzzle as it tries to snap at Laura’s hand, momentarily distracting it, and then sprints after Laura. Up ahead, Laura can see the edge of the woods and for a split second, she thinks they’re going to make it.

Then she hears Danny scream.

She stops, her blood running cold, and turns back towards Danny and the wolf. The wolf has Danny pinned against a tree, its teeth sinking into her left side. Danny’s face is contorted with pain and she’s uselessly shoving at the wolf’s head trying to get it off of herself.

Without thinking about what she’s doing, Laura digs her hand into her bag and feels around until her fingers close around the can of bear spray. She charges forward with a yell and sprays it directly into the wolf’s face. The stunned wolf yelps and sprints off back into the forest, tail between its legs. Laura turns back towards Danny, who is slowly sliding down the tree holding her side.

“Danny!” She runs over to the other girl and drops down next to her.

“I’m okay, I’m okay.” Danny says, but her face is screwed up in immense pain.

“Danny, we need to get you to the infirmary.” Laura says, desperately pawing at one of Danny’s arms as she tries to help her to her feet.

“No! No.” Danny protests, leaning slightly into Laura’s body. “The infirmary at night is not some place you want to be. I just need to lie down.”

“Lie down? Danny, you just got bitten by a wolf! You could have rabies!” Laura objects, her voice raising an octave in concern.

“I know, and I’ll go in the morning. Please.” Danny begs, her forehead dropping to Laura’s shoulder.

Without another word, Laura helps Danny to her feet and the two make their way out of the forest and back to the quad. Danny stumbles a few times as they approach the Summer Society house but each time Laura is able to brace her and keep her on her feet.

The stairs are a different story.

They barely make it to the top and when they do they’re both exhausted. Danny looks even paler as she shoulders her way through the door. Once inside, Danny immediately drops to the floor and covers her head with her arms. Laura kneels beside her.

“Danny?” Laura whispers, smoothing her hand down her back.

“My head is killing me.” Danny mumbles back.

Laura continues rubbing her back, muttering something under her breath about ‘tetanus’ and ‘rabies’ before resettling herself so she’s lying down next to Danny’s crumpled form.

“Can I see it?” Laura asks and Danny knows she’s talking about the bite.

Danny manages to roll over on her back, eyes screwed shut tight, and slowly reaches for the hem of her t-shirt. She drags it up to her chest so Laura can get a good look at the bite mark. It’s bloody and dark, two perfect half-moon shapes.

“God.” Laura breathes out.

“Yeah.” Danny mutters in response.

“Do you have a first aid kit?” Laura asks, looking around Danny’s room.

“Closet.” Danny responds.

Laura rushes over to Danny’s closet and finds a red first aid box on the shelf. She grabs it and moves back beside Danny, kneeling down again. She pulls out an antiseptic wipe and tears open the package.

“I’m really sorry.” Laura says.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Danny replies.

“No I- I mean, yes I’m sorry about everything too but right now I mean this.” Laura says, swiping the bite with the wipe. Danny hisses loudly and her whole body jerks off the floor.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.” Laura repeats, quickly grabbing a gauze pad and holding it against Danny’s side. She grabs the surgical tape and quickly fixes the gauze against Danny’s side in a makeshift bandage.

“It’s not professional, but it’ll keep it from getting infected overnight.”

“Thanks.” Danny whispers.

Suddenly, Danny’s body gives a violent shudder. She lets loose a string of swear words under her breath and shakily gets to her feet, stumbling sideways into her dresser.

“Danny what-“ Laura starts to ask, but then Danny heaves and staggers into the bathroom. Laura leans back against Danny’s bed as the sounds of Danny being violently ill filter out from behind the bathroom door.

Over an hour later, Laura’s in the middle of googling symptoms of rabies and ‘what kinds of infections can you get from wolf bites’ and is seriously considering calling an ambulance when Danny emerges from the bathroom. She’s less pale but she still looks like she’s in pain.

“Hey. You’re still here.” Danny says, her voice raw and rough.

“Of course I am.” Laura replies.

Danny slowly sinks down to the floor beside Laura, holding her side. She pulls her knees up to her chest with a wince and leans her forehead against them.

“How are you feeling?” Laura asks, leaning slightly into the other girl. Danny shrugs.

“I don’t feel like throwing up anymore but my head still feels like it’s got an axe in it and my side still burns like hell. Seriously, it feels like someone came at me with a branding iron.” Danny answers, leaning her head against Laura’s.

“You’re sure you won’t let me take you to a doctor?” Laura asks. Danny shakes her head, and then groans at the movement.

“No. Not tonight. If I still feel horrible in the morning, okay. But the infirmary at night is a no fly zone, Hollis.” Danny responds, Laura smiles at the sound of her last name.

“Okay.” Laura breathes out.

They sit there in silence for a few more moments, Danny’s head rested against Laura’s and Laura trying to ignore the ill-timed butterflies floating around her stomach at the contact. Danny takes a ragged breath and mutters another series of swears, tightening her grip on her side.

“You should probably lie down.” Laura says, turning to look at Danny’s face.

Danny doesn’t respond, just reaches for Laura’s hand. Laura stands up and then carefully pulls Danny to her feet. Danny kicks off her shoes and then turns towards the bed. Ungracefully, she flops down onto the mattress with a loud groan. The two stare at each other for a moment before Laura speaks:

“I’m staying.” It’s not a question. Danny’s eyes flicker towards Laura’s face. “Here. Tonight. With you.” Laura clarifies.

“Okay.” Danny whispers back.

“Okay.” Laura repeats.

Then she’s kicking off her shoes and climbing into Danny Lawrence’s bed. She’s had dreams about this particular moment. Admittedly, they did not involve getting chased through the woods and Danny getting bitten by a giant wolf, but still.

She settles as close to Danny as she can get without touching her, terrified she’s going to make Danny hurt more than she already is. They lie in silence for a while, almost touching but not quite, until Danny’s breathing evens out and she’s sleeping.

Laura’s last image before drifting off is the light of the full moon reflecting off of Danny’s face.

 

II.

“I still say you should go to the infirmary.” Laura insists, scrolling through another website about wolf bites on Danny’s laptop.

Danny comes out of the bathroom in nothing but a bra and her unbuttoned pants. Laura’s fingers slip off the keyboard turning her sentence into a garbled mess of letters. Danny gestures to her side where her bite mark is. It’s completely healed and all that remains is a scar that’s an odd silver-y color.

“But it’s fine.” Danny says. Laura blinks a few times at the abundance of pale skin before recovering.

“Which is totally weird, Danny. I mean, it was a bloody mess last night and now all of a sudden…?” She trails off. Danny shakes her head and buttons her pants up.

“Maybe I just have a fast healing factor. Like Wolverine.” Danny counters, opening up her wardrobe and reaching for a button down shirt.

Laura shakes her head, mumbling something about ‘too many comic books’ before turning back to the computer. She’s about to read off another symptom of rabies when she hears the sound of ripping fabric. She looks up to find Danny holding her green button down by one sleeve, the other dangling limply by a few threads. Danny sputters.

“What happened?” Laura asks, eyeing the ripped shirt curiously. Danny shrugs, stunned.

“I dunno. It just…ripped?” Danny says, slowly.

She carefully sets the ripped shirt down on her desk chair and stares at it for a few seconds. Then she turns back to her wardrobe and pulls out the red and white baseball shirt she wore the first time she came to Laura’s dorm. Laura winces. She likes that shirt. Danny eyes the shirt for a few seconds before cautiously pulling it over her head.

“Look, all I’m saying is, you should probably get that bite looked at anyway. Just in case.” Laura protests, closing Danny’s laptop. Danny shakes her head again.

“It’s healed. It’s healed and I don’t like doctors. So.” Danny argues, turning away from Laura to face her bookshelf, ears turning red.

“Wait you don’t like doctors?” Laura asks, reaching to place Danny’s laptop back on her desk. Danny shakes her head. “What’s the story th-“

Laura’s question is interrupted as she loses her grip on the computer, but before it crashes to the ground, Danny’s hand is there to catch it. Laura blinks. Danny was on the other side of the room a split second ago.

“How?” Laura asks, staring at Danny’s hand holding the computer in awe.

Danny just shakes her head.

“I saw it falling and I just…” She trails off, slowly placing the computer on the desk.

They both stare at it for a few moments before Danny clears her throat.

“We’re uh- we’re gonna be late.” She says, gesturing towards the door.

Laura nods, rising slowly from the end of Danny’s bed. They walk across the room and Laura opens her mouth to say something, but then shakes her head and changes her mind. Danny flips off the light as Laura steps out into the hallway.

“Just be careful okay? What?” Laura says, turning around to face Danny as she closes the door only to find Danny with her hand behind her back and making a guilty face.

Danny slowly removes her hand from behind her back and opens her fist to reveal the broken doorknob to her bedroom door. Laura opens her mouth again but Danny beats her to it.

“Not one word, Hollis.”

Laura laughs.

 

III.

“Wait, wait, wait…he said what?” Danny asks into her phone.

She’s walking back to the Summer Society house from her track practice and on the phone with Laura, who was dramatically re-enacting her run in with Brody Kirsch in the caf.

“He was all like, ‘so like maybe you can tutor me sometime little hottie.’ I mean really, do lines like that actually work on girls?” Laura says. Danny laughs.

“Not to my knowledge.” Danny replies, jogging up the steps of the house. Laura’s laugh rings through her speaker.

“You’ve called a girl ‘hottie’ before, Danny?”

“No- no I meant the tutoring thing.” Danny stutters back, unlocking the door and walking in. She nods at the two girls flopped on the couch watching tv and heads for the stairs. Laura laughs louder.

“Oh?” Laura’s tone is teasing and Danny can feel her ears burning as she takes the stairs three at a time.

“Anyway, what did you say?” Danny changes the subject as she shoulders open her bedroom door. She makes a mental note to get Elisabeth to fix her doorknob in the morning. Laura makes a disgusted noise.

“I said no, of course. I told him if he wanted to pass the class he needed to do it on his own merit and that maybe drooling over girls instead of taking notes wasn’t the best way to do that.” Laura replies. Danny grins.

“That’s my girl.” She murmurs, without thinking.

“What was that?” Laura asks. Danny freezes.

“Uh, n-nothing. I was…nothing.” Danny lies, quickly. Her ears were on fire.

“Mmmhmm.” Laura replies, entirely unconvinced. Danny smacks herself on the forehead.

“Well, I should probably go. I’ve got to shower. I’m all sweaty from practice.” Danny says, inwardly groaning at her mini-ramble. Laura giggles.

“Okay. Hey, if you’re still up later…you should text me. I’m going to be up working on this sociology paper for quite some time.” She says.

“Yeah! Yeah absolutely, I’ve got some papers to grade so that’d be cool.” Danny replies.

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later then.” Laura says.

“Later!” Danny says, ending the call with a groan. She flops back onto her bed and stares at the ceiling.

“Dammit, Lawrence.” She mumbles, rubbing at her face in exasperation.

She slides off the bed and stands up and is met with a sudden dizziness.

“Probably stood up too fast.” She mutters to herself and heads toward the bathroom for the shower.

The next thing Danny knows, she’s doubled over, an intense nausea clawing its way through her stomach. She groans, loudly, and clutches at her side, which has started to burn. Her skin feels like it’s being pricked by thousands of needles all over. Her legs lock beneath her and she drops down on her hands and knees.

She tries to speak, but all that happens is she dry heaves. Her whole body shudders and her bones feel too big for her skin. The bite mark on her side is burning and she manages to lift up her shirt to get a look at it. It’s black, like someone branded her skin.

She grabs at her phone and it takes a few tries but she manages to dial Laura.

“Hey there.” Laura’s voice sounds like it’s far, far away.

Again she tries to speak, but all that comes out is a groan and another round of dry heaving.

“Danny? Danny! I’m coming over.” Is Laura’s response, and the phone clicks off.

Danny drops the phone and curls up on the floor, convulsing. The nausea has intensified, and her head feels like it’s being split open with an axe. She tries to calm her breathing but it’s no use, she’s borderline hyperventilating. Her shirt feels too constricting, so with shaky hands she manages to yank it off. She glances down at the bite mark and now it looks like the veins surrounding it are turning dark too. She should have listened to Laura.

She has no idea how long she’s been lying there but suddenly, Laura bursts through Danny’s door.

“Danny!” She yelps, diving to the floor.

Danny rolls over on her hands and knees again, keening. Laura reaches out to touch Danny’s back, but before she can, Danny’s lurching to her feet and stumbling into the bathroom. The door slams shut before Laura can follow her.

Danny slumps down to the floor, her back pressed against the door. She feels Laura trying to muscle her way into the bathroom but even if she wanted to, Danny’s pretty sure she can’t move.

“Danny, open the door. We have to get you to the hospital.” Laura’s voice sounds fuzzy from behind the door.

Danny squeezes her eyes closed and whines again. Every muscle in her body suddenly tenses up and her skin feels like she’s being pricked with needles all over again. She feels as if she’s being pulled out of her skin and in every direction. Her teeth feel too big for her mouth and she dry heaves again. Her eyes go out of focus as the corners of her vision turn dark.

Suddenly, she drops to all fours, the sound of ripping fabric flooding her ears. Her vision clears, and it’s different than before. All the colors of her bathroom have faded to shades of blue and grey, but everything seems to be in sharper focus. The smell of Laura’s perfume hits her like a ton of bricks, the nausea and pain clearing away. She turns her head to tell Laura about this new development, but all that comes out is…a bark?

She yelps and scampers away from the door, backing against the shower door, on her four…paws?

Laura chooses that exact moment to practically kick the door off of its hinges and freezes, almost comically, in the door frame.

“Oh my god.” Laura says.

She blinks a few times and leans forward a bit, as if getting a few inches closer will suddenly change the fact that instead of Danny leaned against the shower door, there is now an overgrown wolf. An overgrown wolf with fur the color of Danny’s hair and eyes the exact same shade of blue as Danny’s and-

“Oh my GOD!” Laura nearly shouts. Danny whines.

Laura cautiously approaches ‘Wolfy Danny’ and kneels down. Danny drops her head and refuses to look Laura in the eye.

“Danny.” Laura whispers.

Danny raises her head with another whine and Laura gasps again. She slowly reaches out her hand as Danny’s ears pull down and flatten. She stalls.

“Can I?” She asks. Danny whimpers again but lifts her head to meet Laura’s hand.

“Oh my god, Danny.” Laura murmurs, gently stroking her hand across Danny’s head.

Danny whines and Laura shifts so that she’s sitting instead of kneeling, keeping her hand pressed between Danny’s ears. She sits there in silence, eyes trailing all over Danny’s new wolf form, for a few moments.

“Okay. Okay this is- we can handle this.” Laura says, Danny’s eyes snap to Laura’s face questioningly. “Yes. _We._ We can.” Laura repeats, stroking her fingers through Danny’s fur again.

Danny’s eyes flicker shut briefly and she lowers her head a bit more. Laura gently guides Danny’s head into her lap, running her hand up and down Danny’s back. Danny whimpers again.

“It’s okay.” Laura whispers. “It’s okay, we’re going to stay right here. And it’ll be okay in the morning and we’ll- we’ll look things up and figure out what to do from there.”

Danny curls up against Laura’s side, her head still resting on Laura’s thigh. Laura continues running her fingers up Danny’s back to her head and back down again.

“Well,” Laura starts after a few minutes of silence, “at least it isn’t rabies?”

Danny groans.

 

IV.

When Laura’s eyes flicker open, it takes her a few moments to register where she is. Danny’s bathroom. The events from last night come crashing back through her mind. Danny getting violently ill. Danny turning into a wolf. Danny’s a wolf! She jolts awake and looks around. She’s lying on her side on Danny’s bathroom rug, Danny’s arms are wrapped around her and there’s a pair of ripped jeans near her head. She glances back to find Danny- human Danny- fast asleep behind her.

Completely naked.

Laura jumps to her feet with a squeak, startling Danny.

“What’s-” Danny starts to ask but Laura’s already bolting out of the bathroom, cheeks as red as Danny’s hair. She hears Danny make a strangled noise as she slams the door closed.

There’s a few seconds of silence before Danny speaks:

“Laura?”

“Yes?” Laura answers, hands over her face.

“Do you think you could…maybe grab me some clothes?” Danny asks.

“Yes.” Laura replies, slowly dragging her hands away from her face.

She glances around the room and spies Danny’s sweatshirt and gym shorts draped over the back of her chair. She grabs them quickly and then knocks on the bathroom door. The door opens a crack and Danny’s arm snakes out. She shoves the clothes into Danny’s open hand.

“Thanks.” Danny mumbles, withdrawing her arm and closing the door back.

Laura trudges over to Danny’s bed and sits down. She runs her hand through her hair and tries to collect herself, because she got an eyeful of toned muscle and long limbs and damn…Danny was hot. Which, she already knew that for the most part but. Naked Danny was hotter than she was expecting.

Her inner ramble is interrupted by the bathroom door slowly squeaking open. A sheepish Danny, ears burning bright red, slowly walks into the room. She’s dressed now in her hoodie and shorts, and she runs her hand through her messy hair.

“Sorry.” She mumbles, not meeting Laura’s eyes.

“No- no don’t be it’s fine. It was fine. You’re fine.” Laura says, mentally kicking herself for how high her voice sounds.

Danny nods.

“I mean, I should have realized. You turn into a wolf…you don’t get to keep your clothes.” Laura continues. Danny winces.

“Yeah, about that. The whole wolf thing…” Danny trails off, averting her eyes again.

“Danny.” Laura says. Danny looks up.

“I don’t know.” Danny says, shaking her head. “I don’t know what happened I just- it just happened.”

“It’s the bite mark, right?” Laura asks. Danny nods.

“It has to be.”

Danny lifts up the sweatshirt, choosing to ignore the immediate blush appearing on Laura’s face. The bite mark is no long dark, it’s back to the odd silver color. Laura shakes her head, mystified.

“All the myths I’ve heard…none of them were like this.” Laura says.

Danny slowly walks over to where Laura’s sitting and sinks down next to her. Laura looks over at her and watches her face carefully.

“Do you think it’ll happen again?” Danny asks, quietly.

“Danny, you do realize what happened right? Like what this makes you?” Laura replies.

“I know, I know. I just- I don’t want it.” Danny whispers.

Laura places her hand on Danny’s arm and leans in. Danny just stares at the floor.

“What was it like?” She asks. Danny shakes her head rapidly.

“No.” She says.

“Danny please, I can handle-”

“No, it’s not that. I know you can. You’re amazing, Laura. I just…it was bad.” Danny’s voice quiets back down to a whisper. Laura leans over and rests her chin on Danny’s shoulder.

“How bad?” She whispers.

“It felt like- like I was too big for my skin. Like I was being pricked with needles all over and my muscles just locked up. Like I couldn’t control them. I just felt like I was going to go everywhere. Oh god, what if I can’t control it? What if I hurt someone? Laura, I don’t want to hurt anyone. What-” Danny’s panic is cut off by Laura’s lips pressing against hers.

She leans into the soft kiss for a few moments before Laura pulls back. She blinks a few times but Laura just continues to look at her with this look of gentle adoration.

“I stand by what I said last night.” Laura says tenderly. “It’ll be okay. We can handle this.”

Danny doesn’t respond. She simply drops her head down to the top of Laura’s and closes her eyes.

 

V.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Danny asks, as she continues to browse the books in the ‘Supernatural’ section of the library.

“We have almost 3 full hours before the sun goes down. It’ll be fine.” Laura replies, turning a few more pages in the book she’s searching.

Danny turns back to the shelf to look for more books. Laura mutters quietly to herself back at the study table. They’ve been searching through book after book for the last half hour, looking for any information they can possibly find about werewolves.

“Oh! Here’s something!” Laura calls, Danny turns around to face her. “’After returning to their human forms, werewolves are usually documented as fatigued, debilitated and suffering from…painful nervous depression.’” Laura trails off.

Danny makes a small noise of disgust and turns back to the shelves. She scans the spines until she finds what she’s looking for and pulls out a small leather-bound book. She’s thumbing through the pages when Laura begins to read again:

“Okay, okay, here: ‘in medieval Europe, there were three methods to cure a victim of lycanthropy. Surgically, by exorcism, or via the use of wolfsbane. However…’ oh. Fatal to the patients.”

Laura furiously shuts the book in front of her and grabs another one.

“’Sicilian beliefs maintain that piercing the werewolf’s hands may cure it.’ Awesome.” Danny says, shutting the book and sliding it back on the shelf with a groan.

“There’s got to be something in one of these books. But so far they’re mostly just myths and legends and painful fatal nonsense.” Laura sighs.

“Can I ask you something?” Danny says, turning back around to face Laura. Laura looks up from her book.

“Of course.” She replies.

“Why didn’t you freak out? Why aren’t you freaking out now?” Danny asks. Laura gives her a look.

“My roommate is a vampire.” She replies flatly. Danny laughs.

“Touché.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last couple of months it’s that at this place? All bets are off. Everything you think is just a fairytale probably actually exists.” Laura says. Danny smiles.

“You’re so smart.” Danny says, causing Laura’s cheeks to turn bright red.

“I know.” Laura replies, beaming back at Danny.

Danny turns back to the shelf and pulls out another book. Laura watches her curiously as the smile on Danny’s face drops and her expression becomes more and more pained as she reads. She shuts the book quickly and shoves it back on to the shelf, taking a shaky breath.

“Hey.” Laura says quietly, rising from her chair and walking over to where Danny is standing.

Danny keeps her back to her and continues to stare at the spines of the books on the shelf. Laura slowly and gently wraps both her arms around Danny’s waist and then presses her head against Danny’s back. She feels Danny take another deep breath.

“It’s going to be okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” Laura says.

Danny turns around in Laura’s arms and wraps hers around Laura’s back, pulling her close against her body. They stand there like that, in a comfortable silence, for several minutes. Danny leans back, causing Laura to lift her head from Danny’s chest. They lock eyes and Danny’s leaning closer and just as Laura’s thanking whatever deity she can think of a loud banging erupts from behind them.

“What was that?” Danny asks, her head whipping around towards the noise.

“I don’t know it came from over there.” Laura replies.

Danny lets go of her and Laura reluctantly steps away. Danny turns toward the row of shelves behind them, eyes narrowed.

“Something’s not right.” She mumbles.

There’s a scraping sound from behind them and they both spin around just in time to see the chair Laura had previously been occupying slide across the floor towards them.

“Oh, hell.” Laura mutters.

“We need to get out of- LAURA!” Danny yells as all the books on the shelf closest to Laura fly off the shelf and towards her.

Laura drops to the ground as the books come raining down on top of her. She covers her head and hears Danny yelling something followed by a loud smashing. She looks up and sees Danny tripping over herself to get out of the way of the study table sliding full speed towards her.

Laura struggles to get to her feet under the weight of all the flapping books. She manages an impressive roll and elbows the books off of her back. As she stands she looks back over at Danny, who is grappling with an unseen force that seems to be determined to yank her sweatshirt off. Laura hears a noise behind her and turns.

There’s a chair hovering almost 6 feet off the ground and it’s heading towards her.

Before she can even think of reacting, she hears the sound of ripping fabric from behind her followed by a loud inhuman growl. A large red blur hurls past her and slams into the chair, splintering it to bits.

It’s Danny, all wolfed out.

“It’s only 6:00!” Laura exclaims to herself as she watches Danny snap her teeth at a book that had started to levitate.

Danny turns towards her and howls. She starts sprinting towards her and Laura gets the idea, spinning around herself and booking it towards the stairs. She hears all kinds of crashing behind them but she doesn’t dare turn around. Within minutes she’s following Danny out the door of the library and into the cold air.

“That was close.” She pants, doubling over.

Danny runs a few circles around her before flopping down in the grass.

“Idiot.” Laura laughs, dropping down next to her.

 

VI.

“This is probably the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted, Danny.” Laura whispers.

Danny whines and nudges her head against Laura’s hand.

“I know, I’m scared too. But it’s the only way.” Laura replies, looking down at the wolf.

She peeks around the corner of the stairwell and down the hall. The coast is clear.

“Okay, no sign of Perry or Laf, let’s go. We have to be quick.”

Laura leads Danny around the corner and quickly yet stealthily past the first few rooms. But right as they reach the water fountain, two doors open simultaneously. The exact two worst doors possible. Her own and Perry’s.

She glances down at Danny, horrified. Danny’s ears are flattened against her head. She looks back up at the sound of Perry’s voice, but it’s Carmilla who emerges first. She freezes mid-yawn at the sight of Laura crouched down in a sneaking pose next to the large red wolf.

Carmilla glances towards Perry’s open door and back towards Laura and Danny, neither of whom have moved an inch. She rolls her eyes and sighs. Then, without warning, goes charging towards Perry’s open door making loud obnoxious hissing noises.

Laura hears Perry yelling but Carmilla yells over her in a dramatic accent:

“I VANT YOUR BLOOD!”

Laura and Danny make a break for it, ducking into the door Carmilla left open and then slamming it shut just as Carmilla bursts into laughter and Perry yells something about ‘lunatic students.’ Danny leaps up onto Laura’s bed and lies down with a huge sigh.

“What in the actual-” Laura half laughs, half asks.

The door opens again and Laura jumps forward, comically trying to block Danny from view. Ignoring the logic that not only had Carmilla obviously already seen her but also that even in wolf form, Danny was larger than her.

Carmilla takes one look at the pair of them and actually cackles.

She calms down after a few moments and gestures towards Danny, who’s now sitting up looking as grumpy as a wolf can look.

“That’s- that’s the amazon, yeah?” She asks, fighting off another round of giggles.

“If you mean Danny then…yes.” Laura reluctantly answers. Danny groans.

“You actually went and got yourself bitten by a werewolf? Holy shit, Xena.” Carmilla exclaims, trying unsuccessfully to contain her glee.

“Can you try to not be such a b- just, be nice, okay?” Laura says, glaring at Carmilla.

“Okay, okay. Fine.” Carmilla replies.

Which lasts all of five seconds before she begins giggling again.

“Jesus, can you imagine Perry’s face when she finds out though?” Carmilla says, laughing harder.

Danny stiffens and growls.

“Oh, calm down Clifford. I’m not going to tell her.” Carmilla says, shaking her head. “But I am going to leave because if I stay in this room any longer I’m going to lose what little sanity I have left.”

And with that, she spins around and breezes out the door. Laura hears another door slam and assumes that it’s Perry because she hears a shriek and Carmilla’s laughter again. She turns back towards Danny, who gradually lies back down on Laura’s bed. Laura slowly walks over and sits beside her.

“Well. That was…” She trails off. Danny groans.

“Are you pouting right now?” Laura asks, laughing softly. Danny huffs and lowers her head onto her front paws. “Oh my god, you totally are.”

Laura reaches out and scratches behind Danny’s ears. Danny huffs again.

“Oh, you big silly puppy.” Laura laughs. Danny whines.

Laura yawns loudly and leans over so she’s half laying on Danny’s back.

“I’m just going to rest here for a minute okay?” Laura mumbles.

The last thing she sees is Danny’s blue eyes as she rests her head on top of Laura’s hands.

 

VII.

Danny wakes up to the sound of someone typing on a computer. She blinks her eyes sleepily against the morning sunlight and stretches. She freezes. She’s naked under Laura’s thin blanket. In Laura’s bed. In Laura’s room. And Laura’s sitting at her computer typing away.

Danny makes a strangled noise and clutches the blanket to her chest.

“Morning, sleepywolf.” Laura sing-songs from the desk.

She doesn’t turn around, but she does stop typing. Danny makes sure the blanket stays secure around her body before standing up.

“Morning. What are you doing?” Danny asks, her voice hoarse.

“Looking into more facts about werewolves. You know you shifted early last night, right?” Laura says, turning to glance briefly at Danny wrapped up in her blanket. Her brain short circuits and she turns back towards the computer.

“Yeah. I don’t know what happened, I think I just got scared or something? I didn’t get sick this time it just kind of…happened.” Danny replies. Laura gestures towards her computer screen.

“I read that sometimes a werewolf’s shifting can be tied to their emotions.” Laura says.

“So you’re saying I could shift and it not be a full moon?” Danny asks.

“I’m also saying it could be a full moon and you not shift.” Laura replies, spinning around to face Danny despite her reddening cheeks.

“Wait, really?” Danny asks, eyebrows rising in surprise.

“Yes.” Laura answers, grinning. She gestures to the computer screen. “It says here that sometimes werewolves can calm themselves down or be calmed down enough to revert back to their human forms early or sometimes not even shift at all.”

“So, I‘ve just got to keep my blood pressure down and everything’s coming up Milhouse.” Danny says, leaning her hip against Laura’s desk.

“You could always do yoga?” Laura suggests.

“Yoga?” Danny asks.

“Yeah, wolf yoga.” Laura says, waggling her eyebrows. Danny laughs, loudly.

“Wolf yoga.” She repeats.

“It could totally be a thing for you.” Laura replies, lightly hitting Danny on the arm.

“Well, I guess-” Danny’s sentence is cut off by the door opening.

“Laura we need to talk about your LUNATIC roommate.” Perry exclaims, striding into Laura’s room, LaFontaine on her heels. “Just last night she-”

Perry trails off and stops dead in the middle of the room, eyes widened as she gawks at Danny, who is still naked and still wrapped in Laura’s blanket. LaFontaine makes a noise somewhere between a laugh and a groan and quickly averts their eyes.

“I-”  Perry starts, but stalls again.

“This is obviously a bad time, we’ll come back later. Right, Per?” LaFontaine says, regaining their senses and jumping to grab Perry by the arm. Perry nods weakly.

LaFontaine half drags Perry to the doorway and shoves her into the hall. Before they close the door, LaFontaine gives Laura a quick thumbs up and then slams the door shut. There’s a brief moment of silence before Danny begins to chuckle. Laura grins. Clearing her throat, Danny turns to Laura.

“You wouldn’t happen to have some clothes I can borrow, would you?” She asks.

“Yeah. We’re going to need to figure something out about that.” Laura says, ducking over to her wardrobe and pulling out an old oversized sweatshirt and a pair of too long pj pants. She hands them to Danny.

“Thanks.” Danny says and then without thinking, leans in to place a quick kiss to Laura’s cheek.

Her ears turn red again and she quickly ducks into Laura’s bathroom. Laura lets out the breath she’s been holding since Danny leaned in and sinks down onto her bed. She scrubs at her face with her hands.

“Or we could just not worry about the naked thing because wow I will not get tired of that view.” Laura mutters under her breath.

She hears the sound of something in the bathroom toppling over followed by a laugh disguised as a cough and briefly wonders if Danny could have somehow heard her.

 

VIII.

Danny’s pacing the floor of her room, rubbing at the back of her neck.

“Danny, remember how I said that your shifting can be tied to your emotions? And that you need to relax?” Laura says, stretching her legs out on Danny’s bed. Danny stops pacing.

“I know. I know, I know. It’s just-”

“Hard. I get it. I mean, I don’t actually get- oh, you know what I mean.” Laura interrupts. Danny nods.

She makes her way over to the bed and sits down beside Laura’s legs.

“I’m really glad you’re here.” Danny says quietly.

“Where else would I be?” Laura asks.

“Anywhere else. Seriously this is…this is some rough stuff. I wasn’t sure you would want to stick around.” Danny admits, not meeting Laura’s eyes.

“Danny…” Laura starts, sitting up. Danny shakes her head.

“I know that I can be too protective. Too attached. I care too much. I’m too tall, too old. I’m too much of everything. Just too much. I’ve been terrified to tell you that I- that I have feelings for you because I didn’t want to overwhelm you and I didn’t want to be too much for you. And now I’m a werewolf.” She laughs bitterly.

Laura starts to say something but before she can, Danny’s body involuntarily shudders. She lurches to her feet cursing and staggers into the bathroom. Laura jumps off the bed and walks to the door, resting her hand against the wood as she hears Danny start to shift. A few moments later, Danny goes silent. Laura rests her head against the door for a few seconds before reaching for the knob and opening it. Danny’s crouched down under the window.

“Come back in here with me?” Laura asks, gesturing behind her.

Danny slowly rises and follows her back into the bedroom. Laura sits down on the bed and pats the space next to her, so Danny jumps up and sits next to her. Laura’s quiet for a bit, running her fingers through Danny’s fur.

“I care about you, you know.” Laura starts quietly. “I really do. I was afraid to tell you that I had feelings for you because I was scared you wouldn’t want to be with me and that it would make things awkward and I couldn’t handle that.” Danny whines.

“Well, clearly we both were being silly.” Laura says. Danny nods at her, making Laura laugh.

“Listen.” Laura starts again, stilling her hand and locking eyes with Danny. “You have to realize that you don’t have to protect everyone all the time. Sometimes you have to let someone else protect you. Everything that I’ve read says that wolves aren’t meant to run alone. You have to let me in. You can trust me.”

Danny whimpers softly and nudges her head against Laura’s arm in response.

“I don’t care about the werewolf thing. I don’t care that you’re older than me or that you’re my TA. I just want to be with you.” Laura admits. “You don’t need to worry about being too much of anything. You know I’ll tell you if something bothers me. You’re not too much; you’re enough for me Danny Lawrence.”

Suddenly, Danny’s body is shifting. Her fur recedes, her muscles tense and her bones lock back into place and somehow, there’s human Danny. She blinks a few times at Laura and then she’s leaning forward and crashing their lips together. Laura tangles her hands in Danny’s hair and she feels Danny’s hands cradling her face.

Too soon Danny’s pulling back.

“Wow, who needs wolf yoga.” Laura says. Danny laughs.

“Way to ruin the moment, Hollis.”

“Apparently I just need to tell you how much I care about you every time there’s a full moon and you’ll be set!” Laura teases.

“Shut up.” Danny says, lightly shoving Laura’s shoulder.

“Who knew wolves were such saps, I mean really? I think I should document this.” Laura continues to tease. Danny’s laughter dies down and she grins at Laura, who is practically beaming at her.

“I love you.” Danny speaks softly.

Laura’s breath catches in her throat. She stares at Danny, eyes tracing over every feature of her face trying to detect any hint of humor. But Danny’s not joking around anymore. Laura leans in and kisses Danny again. When she pulls away she speaks against Danny’s lips.

“I love you too.”

Neither of them notices when the moon goes down and the sun comes up.


End file.
